BOISE, ID.- Ideas about the American West, both in popular imagination and in commonly accepted historical narratives, are often based on a past that never was, and fail to take into account important events that actually occurred. The exhibition Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea, examines the perspectives of 48 modern and contemporary artists who offer a broader and more inclusive view of this region. This exhibition presents an opportunity to examine previous misconceptions, question racist clichés and highlight the multiple communities and histories that continue to form this iconic region of the United States. Working in various media, from painting and sculpture to photography and mixed media, the artists featured in the exhibition bring a nuanced and multifaceted history into view. Among the many voices and communities highlighted in this exhibition, Many Wests showcases artworks by artists who are Black, white, women, men, LGBTQ+, Native American, Asian American and Latinx.
The exhibition is organized jointly by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and four nationally accredited art museums located in some of the fastest growing cities and states in the western region of the United States. It is the culmination of a multi-year, joint curatorial initiative made possible by the Art Bridges Foundation. The partner museums are the Boise Art Museum in Idaho; the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene, Oregon; the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City; and the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington. E. Carmen Ramos, acting chief curator and curator of Latinx art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum has led the collaborative curatorial effort.
Many Wests features artwork drawn from the permanent collections of all five collaborating museums, and the exhibition will be presented at all five venues. The multi-city national tour begins at the Boise Art Museum (July 31, 2021 to Feb. 13, 2022). The exhibition then travels to the Whatcom Museum (March 19, 2022 to Aug. 21, 2022), the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (Sept. 26, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022) and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (Feb. 4, 2023 to June 11, 2023). The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. will be the final stop on the tour, where the exhibition will be on view from July 28, 2023 to Jan. 14, 2024.
Featured Artists
Laura Aguilar, Neal Ambrose-Smith (Salish), Alfredo Arreguín, Rick Bartow (Mad River Wiyot), Dwight Billedeaux (Blackfeet), Melissa Bob (Lummi), Michael Brophy, Damian Charette (Crow), Corwin Clairmont (Salish, Kootenai), Jason Elliot Clark (Algonquin, Creek, Swiss, Scottish), Juan de Dios Mora, Marita Dingus, Angela Ellsworth, Marcos Ramírez ERRE, Ka’ila Farrell-Smith (Klamath Modoc), Joe Feddersen (Colville), Christina Fernandez, Sandra C. Fernández, Miguel A. Gandert, Tony Gleaton, Ken Gonzales-Day, Jeneese Hilton (Blackfeet), James Lavadour (Walla Walla), Jacob Lawrence, Hung Liu, V. Maldonado, Wendy Maruyama, Delilah Montoya, Ramon Murillo (Shoshone-Bannock), Molly Murphy (Oglala/Lakota Sioux), Patrick Nagatani, Raphael Montañez Ortiz, Neil Parsons (Southern Pikuni), Lillian Pitt (Wasco, Yakama, Warm Springs), Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Flathead/Cree/Shoshone), Wendy Red Star (Apsáalooke/Crow), Al Rendón, Angel Rodríguez-Díaz, Fritz Scholder (Luiseño), Roger Shimomura, David Taylor, Barbara Earl Thomas, Rubén Trejo, Gail Tremblay (Mi’kmaq, Onondaga), Awa Tsireh (San Ildefonso Pueblo), George Tsutakawa, Marie Watt (Seneca), Melanie Yazzie (Navajo/Diné)
Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea is one in a series of American art exhibitions created through a multi-year, multi-institutional partnership formed by the Smithsonian American Art Museum as part of the Art Bridges Initiative.
